Abstract
Objective: To develop a new design of microstrip transmission line (MTL) volume coil integrated with head holder for the whole small animal brain MRI, in order to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of deep brain region. Methods: A prototype coil was developed and constructed using 16 MTL resonant elements. The mineral oil images, saline phantom images and in vivo cat brain images were acquired for coil test and validation. Results: Homogeneity and sensitivity distributed evenly in the entire cat brain. The fMRI clearly displayed the thalamocortical visual network connecting lateral geniculate nucleus and primary visual cortex in the cat brain. Conclusion: The MTL volume coil can fix the cat brain stably, decrease the motion artifacts and improve the image quality. The coil is superior for investigating the brain functions, in particular and deep brain regions.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1485-1487 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| State | Published - Aug 20 2009 |
Keywords
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Microstrip transmission line
- Radio frequency coil
- Signal to noise ratio